


the best gift (isn't what it seems)

by messageman



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Past Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Shiro's birthday, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 08:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17956994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/messageman/pseuds/messageman
Summary: Keith never knew Shiro's birthday until the year he left.





	the best gift (isn't what it seems)

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'd bc i forgot about shiro's not-birthday

Keith never knew Shiro’s birthday. It felt like such an odd thing to know, especially as a cadet in the Garrison. Unless you were absolutely, irrevocably in love with your commanding officer, you didn’t care enough about their birthday to ask.

But if you’re friends with your commanding officer, you might as well make yourself a nice person and learn their birthday, right?

Right.

But Keith and Shiro weren’t friends.... were they?

“Keith! I brought you something!” Shiro had said through the door. Keith walked over and opened it to find Shiro, still in his uniform, holding a gift package. Keith blinked, staring at the gift given to him. “You mentioned once when your birthday was. I mentioned it to Adam and we both came up with a gift for you!” Shiro said in his overly cheery voice.

Keith, with all of the grace given, responded: “Uh, no…?” Shiro laughed. Keith flushed. “Keith, it’s your birthday. Do you even know what day it is?” “it’s my birthday, apparently,” Keith stated dryly. Shiro let out a small chuckle before handing the gift off to Keith again. “Here, like I said before. It’s from Adam and me.” Keith took the package before allowing Shiro access to his room.

It was a small box wrapped in tan paper with a red bow. “Are you, uh, sure you want to give me this?” Keith asked one more time, still absently staring at the box. Shiro elbowed him. “Of course, Keith. We’re friends. This is what friends do.” Keith nodded, then began to unravel the delicate bow.

Once the bow was undone, Keith lifted the lid of the box. Inside were a pair of black gloves, fingerless with an open patch on the outer portion of the hand. Keith pulled them out with care, nearly tearing up. “I noticed you staring at those when we went by the store on one of our weekends off. They seem to be right up your alley.” Shiro did his best to give Keith a gift he could keep for a very long time. Leather gloves that cost him quite a bit of his paycheck? Worth it to see the smile and tears pooling on Keith’s face.

Keith slid the gloves on with ease. A bit large, but he was still growing. He’d easily grow into them.

The next thing Shiro knew, he was nearly being thrown backward by Keith’s bodyweight. Keith had given him the biggest hug Shiro had ever had the pleasure of receiving. Keith kept mumbling thank you’s into his shoulder. Shiro wrapped his arms around Keith, holding him tightly.

That was the first birthday they’d spent together.

 

* * *

Although Shiro knew Keith’s birthday, Keith never knew Shiro’s. Keith wanted to ask Adam, but the two didn’t spend much time together outside of Shiro, so it was kind of a bust to ask him. When Keith finally found out, Adam had laughed and told him that it was on the leap year,  “which is coincidentally this year,” Adam had told him. It was also the year of the Kerberos mission. The year that Shiro and Adam split. The year that Katie Holt and Keith Kogane had lost their entire worlds. It was the year that Shiro and Keith confessed to one another.

It was the last birthday they’d spend together for years.

Keith, on accident, had avoided Shiro for a week before his birthday. Shiro would get a quick ‘hello’ from Keith, but never more than that. Keith was doing a bunch of favors for some friends so he could get his hands on Shiro’s gift.

Which is how he found himself in front of Shiro’s room at 9 PM on February 29th.

Keith knocked. A very timid and quiet knock. Keith was scared shitless. Shiro barely registered the noise. He got up, standing away from his  _ Harry Potter _  movie binge. Shiro opened the door and Keith stood there, holding a bag, looking like he might shit himself. “Keith? Come on in.” Shiro said, then stepped aside to let Keith through before shutting the door. “What’s in the bag?” Shiro asked. Keith opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

“Alcohol.”

“ _ Keith!”  _ Shiro scolded, “you’re underage!” Shiro smirked. “Is this why half of my friends were patting my back and telling me good luck?” Keith let out a loud laugh. “Yeah, that’s the reason. I had to do a bunch of stuff for them but they all helped me out quite a bit. Even Adam pitched in.” Shiro’s eyes had a split second of sadness at the mention of Adam but lightened again when Keith pulled his favorite beer out of his duffel bag.

“I cannot believe you. Why are you doing all of this?” Shiro asked him, “someone once told me that this is what friends do for friends on their birthdays.” Keith stated, holding out a beer for him. Shiro’s eyes widened in shock but relaxed as he took a bottle from Keith’s hand. “Adam?” “Adam.”

 

* * *

 

A few hours past and the two were quite a few beers, vodka shots, and swigs of whiskey in. They were also about halfway through  _ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban _ . Keith was draped across Shiro’s legs as Shiro was propped up against his bed. The two weren’t paying attention to the movie anymore, but reminiscing about the past few years.

They were giggling about a story that Shiro was telling about Iverson’s earlier days. “I can’t believe Matt called him a queen bitch and is still living to tell the tale.” Shiro laughed once more. “He had mess hall duty for a month and a half, but it was so worth it to see Iverson’s face. It was as red as that jacket of yours.” Shiro recalled. Keith snorted again.

“Hey, Shiro?” Shiro looked down, seeing a mess of indigo hair pooled on his legs, violet eyes staring up at him with wonder. “Yeah?” “You know you’re like… the hottest guy ever, right?” Keith stated. Shiro huffed, cheeks turning a rosy pink, “I think you’ve had too much to drink, buddy.” Shiro said. “You know what I mean, Shiro. It’s not like I’ve tried to hide it and if what Adam said is true, then I know what you’re thinking.” Keith said, slowly getting off of Shiro’s legs.

Damn that man. Adam told Keith about the things he’d said one drunk night after they had called quits.

“Keith, look. You’re young, okay? I’m gonna go to Kerberos, and who knows how long I’ll be gon-” Keith didn’t let him finish, instead opting to put his drink down, rest a hand on Shiro’s cheek, and kiss the daylights out of him.

When Keith pulled away, Shiro chased him like a drug.

“No matter what, I’m going to wait for you. You’ve always been there for me. Who cares about how long you’ll be gone for Kerberos?! I’ll be here the day you walk back through those doors.” Keith told him. Shiro, eyes wide and lips tingling, mumbled a quick “okay,” before leaning back in to kiss Keith some more.

The week after, Shiro left.

 

* * *

 

Now, Captain of the Atlas himself was sitting outside stargazing. He didn’t care what the day was. No one knew why he asked for the night off, just that he had requested to be off a few hours early, and here he was. Watching the stars move and twinkle on a sand dune.

The pawing of little feet and the padding of paws woke him up out of his mini-trance. He looked over his shoulder at Keith and Kosmo, slowly making their way over to his spot on a blanket on a sand dune outside of Keith’s desert shack. It’s what they call home now, and until they decide to expand, it’s perfect for the two of them and a dog.

Shiro smiled at Keith, who smiled back and handed him a beer. Shiro took a sip of his beer before Keith interrupted. “Aren’t you a little young to be drinking?” Keith said, humor light in his voice. Shiro gave him a lopsided grin. “What, an 7 and a half year old with a full head of gray hair can’t be drinking?” Keith leaned against Shiro’s body, letting out a hearty laugh.

“Sorry, old-timer. Forgot who I was talking to for a second.” Keith stated. Shiro chuckled once more before continuing his drink. “Do you ever miss the Garrison days?” Keith had asked. Shiro shook his head. “Not really, we kind of both work there now. The only difference for me is that now you’re no longer a cadet and I can’t call you kiddo.” Shiro said. Keith jerked his shoulder away from the gray-haired man who snorted in response.

“I remember the first birthday I spent with you. We got drunk off of some cheap shit Adam and your friends bought me and kissed each other until the sun came up.” Keith said with a sullen smile. Shiro looked him over, lightly grabbing Keith’s chin to pull him into another kiss. “That was all I had wished for that year was for you to like me back.”

“Well, you got your wish, Captain,” Keith said, kissing his boyfriend back. Shiro pulled back, looking at Keith’s all too perfect smile.

 

“I couldn’t ask for a better gift.”


End file.
